The 105 day long session began on January 13, 2025. For the following four months, the 98 House members and 49 Senators will be grappling with climate and energy concerns, rising housing costs, the budget, and the paramount duty of the state, K-12 education, amongst many other important issues.
During this time Teach with TVW will be producing short explainer videos that showcase how policymaking works in Washington state, from bill filing, to public testimonies and final passage on the House and Senate Floors.
Bookmark this page as we will be posting weekly videos, along with supporting lesson plans, study guides and student workbooks for teaching how our state government works.
You can also sign up for our Newsletter and get weekly updates on CC+ and other classroom resources.
THE SERIES
WK8 March 3rd-7th – Floor Debate
Legislators are on the floor: what does that even mean? In order for a bill to move along in the legislative process, it must be voted by all the members in its House of Origin. This is done “on the floor”, where all members gather to hear and debate bills. These gatherings on the floor are very formal and strict procedural rules are followed. This allows debate to be civil, orderly, and timely in nature. In this 8 minute video, Ms. Paulson speaks to Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, who is also President of the Senate, about the Orders of Business that help govern actions on the floor. Watch this before you watch a Floor Debate, so you, like the Lt. Governor, know what the heck is going on.
Class Resources:
- Civics 101 – The Floor: What is Caucus?
- Civics 101 – The Floor: Where Big Changes Can Happen
Essential Questions:
- What are the basic steps of the legislative process?
- How are time and priorities effectively managed?
WK7 Feb 24th-28th – Fiscal Cutoff
Another week, another cutoff. By end of day, Friday February 28th, bills must be voted out of the fiscal committee in their House of Origin. So, bills with a financial impact that were introduced in the House of Representatives must move out of the Finance or Appropriations Committees and bills introduced in the Senate must move out of the Ways and Means Committee if they have any hope of becoming law. In this 4 minute video, learn about the importance of a fiscal committee, how it differs from a policy committee, what a fiscal note really is, and how to specialize your testimony for a fiscal committee. se of Origin.
Class Resources:
Essential Questions:
- What are the basic steps of the legislative process?
- How are time and priorities effectively managed?
WK6 Feb 17th-21st – Policy Cutoff
In order to ensure that bills move through the legislative process, the legislature uses a set of self imposed deadlines called cutoffs. In the 2025 session, the first deadline is today. Learn more about why cutoffs are beneficial in this 5 minute video. By Friday February 21st, all bills that are not necessary to implement the budget (NTIB) must pass out of the policy committee in their House of Origin. Bills will then have one more week before the next cutoff, where they have to make it out of the fiscal committee in the House of Origin.
Class Resources:
Essential Questions:
- What are the basic steps of the legislative process?
- How are time and priorities effectively managed?
WK5 Feb 10th-14th – The Committee Chair
Chairs set the agenda for the committees, which means that they decide which bills will get a public hearing and which bills will be put up for a vote. With thousands of bills vying to make their way to becoming a law and only so much time, the Chair must choose bills that are “fully cooked” and ready to become laws. In this week’s 4 minute episode, hear from Chair of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, Senator Manka Dhingra, and how she works with all members of the Washington State Legislature to pass legislation that betters the lives of Washingtonians.
Class Resources:
Essential Questions:
- How does the committee chair manage priorities and time?
- How do committees effectively vet legislation in the public interest?
WK4 Feb 3rd -7th – Public Testimony
Before a bill can move along in the legislative process, Senators and Representatives must hear from the public. In this 7 minute video viewers learn the formal process of public testimony in committee hearings. In this lesson, students will examine what goes into a good public testimony and then analyze excerpts of public testimonies from a bill making its way through the 2025 legislative session.
Public Testimony Lesson Plan:
Essential Questions:
- To what extent is public testimony important?
- How should one prepare for public testimony?
WK3 Jan 27-31st – Bill Sponsors & Stakeholders
In order for a bill to be heard in a committee, it must have a legislator sign on to be its Prime Sponsor. In this 6 minute video, learn the ins and outs of prime sponsorship and the importance of gathering diverse stakeholders in getting a bill passed. We talked to Senator Claire Wilson and lobbyist Adán Espino about how essential consensus building is in the legislative process.
Essential Questions:
- What is the function of the Prime Sponsor?
- How do Stakeholders help move and shape legislation?
- What is the timeline for bringing ideas to the legislature?
WK2 Jan 20-24th – Anatomy of a Committee
When many people think of “the government”, they think of legislators giving long winded speeches on the floor of the House and the Senate. However, most of the work done during the Legislative Session is done in committees. Committees are the place where bills are researched, discussed, debated, and voted upon. Committees are where the public has the chance to have their voices heard, and committees allow legislators to focus on a specific topic so that the nuances of a proposed law are clear. In this 4 minute episode of Capitol Classroom+, you will experience the anatomy of the committee room, so that when you watch a committee hearing on TVW, you know the ins and outs.
Anatomy of a Committee Hearing Summary:
Essential Questions:
- Who participates in Committee Hearings?
- How are both political parties represented in committees?
- How do legislative staff support and inform the committees?
WK1 Jan 13-17th – Inaugurations
The first week of the legislative session, especially after an election year, is filled with many ceremonial elements. In addition to the agenda setting speeches given by the Speaker of the House Laurie Jenkins, President of the Senate Lt. Governor Denny Heck, and Governor Bob Ferguson, legislative work started. Legislators began meeting in their committees, hearing bills. With over 40 committees meeting between the House and the Senate, there was a lot for Legislators to do! And with 1 out of every 5 members of the Legislature being new this year, the Capitol Campus was filled with many people smiling and looking for the most direct way out of the Legislative building.
Inaugural Address Lesson Plan:
- Duration – One to two class periods
- Inaugural Addresses
Essential Questions:
- What is the purpose of the Inaugural Address?
- How are inaugural addresses the same? How are they different?
- To what extent do inaugural addresses shape the incoming administration?
Pre-Session
For our first 2025 Capitol Classroom+ episode (2 min), Teach with TVW shows you what it is like in the Capitol Building pre-legislative session. This time next week, the Legislative Building will be bustling with energy. But for the moment, it is quiet as legislators are working steadily in their offices, preparing for the next 105 days.
Pre-Session Lesson Plan:
- Duration – One to two class periods
- WK1 Teacher Curriculum Guide
Essential Questions:
- Who represents the people of Washington State?
- How does the legislature function to represent the interests of the people?
- What are some ways the community can participate in the legislature?